Last May's Warblers

Nashville Warbler

In May of 2008 I frequented Paletta Park in Burlington, only a few minutes from my work, during my lunch hour. There were many good opportunities to view warblers - something that I had not done with any great measure of success before. Warblers remain one of my weak points in identification (as I'm sure they are for others) but after watching a good spring migration I now have quite a few sightings under my belt.

The biggest opportunity I missed at Paletta last year was a Worm-Eating Warbler that hung around for about a week. This elusive skulker eluded me, although I managed some good pictures of a White-Eyed Vireo that was spotted at the same time and caused much excitement. I'm sure I didn't come close to seeing half the warbler species that were seen at Paletta during the spring, but I think May was my most successful warbler month so far.

Wilson's Warbler

I saw quite a few Nashville Warblers, as seen in the first photo here. The grey head and white eye ring make for easy identification. Yellow Warblers were among the earliest, along with Yellow-Rumped Warblers. Yellow and Yellow-Rumped were the most numerous in this particular area.

Wilson's Warbler came around the same time as the Canada Warblers, and both were new life species for me. The black cap on the male Wilson's makes it immediately identifiable, as do the dark back and necklace of dark streaks on the Canada. The aptly-name Black-Throated Blue look just as their name suggest, but I only saw them in the shadows deep in a row of cedars which doesn't make for good photographs.

Canada Warbler

The most memorable warbler of the spring was a male Common Yellowthroat. While walking the paths of Paletta the first few days after warblers started to appear I marked out an out-of-the-way spot that I felt quite likely for warblers. After a couple of weeks I hadn't seen anything significant there when I saw some movement. A male Yellowthroat - my first - hopped right out in front of me into the sun on a branch a few feet away. He posed for a few photos before making his way off again to catch some bugs.

Common Yellowthroat

Other miscellaneous warblers I was able to see were Pine Warbler, Palm Warbler, and American Redstart along with various Flycatchers and Vireos. Ten species of warblers is not a significant portion of what came through, but it was enough to add seven to my life list. Hopefully next spring I'll be able to get down to Long Point Provincial Park during peak migration and add another 20 or more. I went to Long Point once last spring, but before the migration really got started.